Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Darran Smith (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Bob Minner (acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Denny Hemingson (electric guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, baritone guitar, dobro); Dean Brown (mandolin, fiddle); Billy Mason (drums).

Audio Mixers: Mike Shipley; Tim McGraw; Byron Gallimore.

Illustrator: Greg Call.

Photographers: Kristin Barlowe; Mark Seliger; Glen Rose; Russ Harrington; Steve Klein ; Marina Chavez; Tony Duran; Danny Clinch.

Unknown Contributor Roles: John Prestia; Marla Blessey; Jerome Clinton Thompson; Heath Stimmel; Johnnie Branham; Dane DeVillier; Mike Rector; Robert Allen; Joey Supak; John Ward.

Tim McGraw was already an established country-pop superstar by the time his first greatest hits collection was released. The albums that followed that compilation, SET THIS CIRCUS DOWN, TIM MCGRAW AND THE DANCEHALL DOCTORS, and LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING, were hugely successful as well, providing plenty of material for a GREATEST HITS VOLUME II.

McGraw's success comes partly from his ability to balance popular song styles such as country-rock rave-ups, honky tonk-styled jams, and emotional power ballads. There is evidence of each on this best-of, and while McGraw has a tendency to go over the top at times ("Live Like You Were Dying"), he can also lay down beautiful folk-tinged pickers ("My Old Friend") and surprising duets (with Nelly on "Over and Over"). It's no wonder McGraw is at the top of the contemporary country game.

This 16-track, second volume of Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits is a stopgap that generally covers the years 2001-2004, but there are exceptions. There are a pair of tunes from 2001's Set This Circus Down , four from Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors (2002), and two from Live Like You Were Dying, issued in 2004. You also get the title cuts from 1994's Not a Moment Too Soon, and 1997's Everywhere. Also included are the hit duets -- one with wife Faith Hill, "Like We Never Loved at All," from her 2005 Fireflies set -- and "Over and Over," with Nelly from his Suit disc issued in 2004. From here there are no less than ten bona fide hit songs. McGraw includes four new tunes as well to make the package irresistible to the faithful. There's a slick cover of Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue," Craig Wiseman and Chris Lindsey's "Beautiful People," "My Little Girl," from the soundtrack to the film Flicka, and an uncredited "bonus track," entitled "I've Got Friends That Do." These cuts are all manned by McGraw's longstanding band the Dancehall Doctors and therefore have the feel of his last four records or so. If you have volume one, there is plenty of reason to have Vol. 2, especially since McGraw, like most other Nash Vegas chart-toppers, issue albums with filler. This second hits package complements the first beautifully, and would more than fill out most any casual country fan's McGraw shelf. ~ Thom Jurek minimize